Former child actor Corey Feldman was forced off a top Hollywood union’s sexual harassment committee because of sexual misconduct allegations against him — and now he’s lashing out at the union leader behind his removal. Feldman, known for his roles in ’80s flicks “Stand By Me,” “The Goonies” and “The Lost Boys,” stepped down from …
Former child actor Corey Feldman was forced off a top Hollywood union’s sexual harassment committee because of sexual misconduct allegations against him — and now he’s lashing out at the union leader behind his removal.
Feldman, known for his roles in ’80s flicks “Stand By Me,” “The Goonies” and “The Lost Boys,” stepped down from SAG-AFTRA’s sexual harassment committee on June 26, amid accusations of sexual misconduct by two women, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
But Feldman, an outspoken victim of sexual abuse himself, is now claiming the board member behind his ouster, union president Gabrielle Carteris, did it to push out a union contract weak on child actors’ rights — a top issue for him.
According to THR, Feldman only stepped down from the committee after Carteris, most recognizable for her role as Andrea Zuckerman on “Beverly Hills, 90210,” caught wind of the sexual harassment allegations and requested he be removed on June 17.
Prior to that, Feldman had been protected by SAG-AFTRA’s Los Angeles Local president Patricia Richardson, who refused to remove him despite having received “detailed complaints from women who had been subject to or witness to sexual harassment, abuse and assault,” according to the report.
IN A STRANGE TWIST I MUST ANNOUNCE AS A LIFELONG MEMBER OF @sagaftra & A FORMER MEMBER OF THE #SEXUALHARRASSMENTCOMITTEE I HAV LOST ALL FAITH IN R PRESIDENT @TheGabrielle_C AS I BELIEVE SHES TRYING 2 GASLIGHT ME, 2 IGNORE CHILDRENS RIGHTS N NEW CONTRACTS: https://t.co/t1Yu7knXXy
— Corey Feldman (@Corey_Feldman) July 21, 2020
The union has since reprimanded Richardson and said that Feldman’s addition to the group was “detrimental to the best interests of SAG-AFTRA’s members.”
But as word of the internal battle leaked out on Monday, Feldman took to Twitter to defend himself — and attack Carteris — in a series of Twitter rants published in all caps.
Feldman said he “WOULD NEVER HARM ANOTHER INNOCENT HUMAN, 4 MY OWN PLEASURE, IF MY LIFE DEPENDED ON IT.”
Then he said: “I HAV LOST ALL FAITH IN R PRESIDENT @TheGabrielle_C AS I BELIEVE SHES TRYING 2 GASLIGHT ME, 2 IGNORE CHILDRENS RIGHTS N NEW CONTRACTS.”
IM ABOUT 2 B ATTACKED AGAIN IN A MASSIVE WAY! I HAV JUST LEARNED THEY R PUTTING OUT A STORY OF LIES IN THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER! I AM FURIOUS! I AM HEARTBROKEN! AND I WILL SAY 1 TIME, I WOULD NEVER HARM ANOTHER INNOCENT HUMAN, 4 MY OWN PLEASURE, IF MY LIFE DEPENDED ON IT! #Kids2
— Corey Feldman (@Corey_Feldman) July 20, 2020
Feldman told THR that the “same girls” made the “same claims” two years earlier, it was “investigated” and he was “cleared by both the Los Angeles Police Department and the District Attorney.”
“Beyond that, I don’t care to dignify the alleged claims of women who have been stalking me and harassing me endlessly for some time, for which I have contacted police,” he said. “I’m greatly disappointed and have lost complete faith in SAG leadership, that Gabrielle Carteris would abandon precious measures I was trying to implement for the future safety and protection of our children.”
In response to Carteris’ June request for Feldman to be removed, Richardson said in an email obtained by THR: “The charges sound serious but are unproven, baseless, possibly have been paid for.”
But THR says internal union documents claim “formal complaints to law enforcement, including the Los Angeles Police Department, and investigations are currently ongoing.”
Neither Richardson nor Carteris responded to requests for comment. SAG-AFTRA did not respond to requests seeking comment.
